Hospital Blues
by Childe of Darkness
Summary: AU, All Human William is injured in an accident and is sent to the hospital Xander works in. Read inside for better summary! Spander fic!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

Hi everybody! I'm baaack! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time but I've been busy with schoolwork and other equally fun stuff. I got all A's and B's on my report card though, resulting in my gaining of two new books and a DVD. Go me!

I have a few announcements that need to be read before you start reading the following story. Announcement one is that I will not be updating Watch Out World. (Dodges rocks and other things being thrown) Calm down though, I'm not finished! (Clears throat) Announcement two is that I will be completely re-writing the story. I will start from scratch (list of events in order), then move on to a rough draft (written in my notebook), and ending with a final copy that i will post. It's up to you whether I leave the old copy up or take it down after I post the first chapter of the newly re-written version. It will stay up for now. Announcement three is that I have all of this story written and ready to type up. I'll post a chapter every three days, or when I get five reviews. Whichever comes first. (hint hint)

With that out of the way, enjoy the story!

Hospital Blues Brought to you By Childe of Darkness Rated T+ for mentions of rape/abuse, slash, minor language, adult situations 

Summary: (AU) William, the son of a rich businessman, is involved in a brutal car accident after being kidnapped. Now crippled and disowned, will he ever find peace again?

Prologue

The calm of the cool fall night was broken by a loud screech that was followed by a horrible crunching sound. It woke a good deal of the sleeping residents of Manor Drive, including a middle-aged couple that had barely even drifted off to sleep.

Jane and her husband Tom, both of who worked the night shift at the local warehouse, had just returned home from work. They had changed into their pajamas and had just crawled into bed when the loud noise woke them and prompted Jane to the window. Both realized that their night of planned sleep and peace had been ruined, and Jane was ready to yell out the window at whatever hooligan that had decided to make that awful noise.

But once Jane had seen that cause of the horrible sound, all angry thoughts at their interrupted night flew out of her mind. "Thomas, call 9-1-1." She said in a horrified whisper. She took in the form of a large dark-colored van that was tipped onto it's back, and the smaller form of a light-colored car that was tilted at an angle half on the sidewalk.

"What's wrong?" Thomas asked, phone in one hand and ready to dial with the other. Jane ignored him and slipped into her robe. She rushed down the stairs and slipped her feet into her shoes. She grabbed a flashlight and flung the door open. She rushed out onto the street as her husband began to speak to the woman on the other end of the phone.

A petite woman was climbing shakily out of the car, a hand pressed to a bleeding wound on her forehead. "It just came barreling out of nowhere." She was saying. "I barely saw it." Jane shushed her as she helped her over to the curb. "Just before we hit I could see the driver. He was turned around. I think something in the back was distracting him."

"It's okay. I'm going over to look, see if I can help. An ambulance is on its way." The woman nodded and Jane straightened. She looked over to the van and took a deep breath.

The van was tilted onto it's back, wheels still spinning lazily and smoke curled up in thick columns. The drivers side of front was smashed in and Jane could see the driver had smashed his head into the steering wheel. His eyes were opened and glazed. He was dead.

The side of the van was crumpled in from the roll and it took all of her strength to pry it open. It was a good thing she did because smoke billowed out. It would have suffocated whoever was in the back if they weren't already dead. When the smoke cleared she could make out the insides of the van and the occupants.

There were three of them. All were pinned under the bulk of a metal beam, and the two women were dead. Their heads were tilted at an odd angle and the beam had landed on their chests. Jane let out a breath when she realized that the last occupant of the van, a young boy, was still alive. Barely.

"It's okay kiddo. There's an ambulance on the way." She said soothingly. The boy whimpered and she studied him as the wail of sirens filled the night air. He had pale blonde hair that had been bleached. She knew because the roots were beginning to show. His eyes were a deep pain-filled blue. His face was pale and pinched. He bit through his lip as the van shifted. That's when Jane realized that his hands were bound tightly behind his back.

The ambulance roared to a stop a few feet away and two men jumped out of the cab. One took a detour to the front of the van while the other rushed over to Jane. "How many?" He asked her as he set down a medical bag.

"Three back here. I think two are dead." She answered. She stepped back as he crawled inside. He gently placed his fingers on the neck of the woman closest and shook his head. He repeated the process with the other one before moving to the boy.

"Easy there son. What's your name?" He asked once affirming that the boy was alive. The boy's lips moved but Jane couldn't hear what was said. The EMT did though and he frowned. "Okay Will, okay. I'm gonna get you out of here."

"The driver is dead." The other EMT said as he moved next to Jane.

"These women are too. The boy's alive though, so go get the stretcher and a neck brace. I'm going to move the beam off of him." EMT number two nodded and raced off. "Now, try not to move while I do this okay Will?" The boy, Will, nodded and Jane watched as the EMT heaved the heavy beam off. She moved aside as it landed beside her.

"Here." The other EMT had returned and slid a stretcher into the van, followed by a neck brace. "Need me to come in there Rob?" Rob shook his head and slid Will onto the stretcher. He snapped the neck brace into place and began to slide the stretcher out of the van.

"Will he be okay?" Jane asked as Will was removed from the wreckage and strapped into the back of the ambulance. Rob turned to her with warm brown eyes.

"I don't know. It's pretty bad, but if we get him to the hospital in time he might make it." Jane nodded as the other EMT climbed into the back and began to clean off his face and arms. "Do you live nearby?"

"Right across the street."

"Good. Stay until the police get here, they'll want to question you." Jane nodded.

"Good luck." She whispered as Rob climbed into the front seat and the ambulance sped away. Her husband came up behind her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine." He said.

"I hope so. I sure hope so."

TBC

So? Any good? Should I continue?


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

It was twelve o clock on the dot. Doctor Adam Jeresey had just punched in for his shift – the overnight shift, the only shift a majority of the doctors hated with a passion - and was the only doctor in the emergency room that had over fifteen years of experience under his belt.

The only patient in the ER was a middle aged woman that had cut her hand while cutting up a late night snack of carrots and celery. She was being taken care of by one of the five nurses on shift for the night and would be released as soon as her hand was stitched up and bandaged.

The emergency room stayed calm and empty for approximately twenty minutes; a record length for this particular hospital emergency room during his shift. Normally the emergency room was crawling with late night partiers, occasional car crash victims, and other similar cases.

"Doctor Jeresey, we have a fourteen year old car crash victim coming in." Adam crumbled the paper cup in his hand and threw it in the bin beside the water tank. He strode over to the receptionist. "It's pretty bad sir, the EMT sounded worried."

"I'll take him in room seventeen." Adam said with a small smile that fell from his face as soon as his back was turned. "Send everyone we can spare, just in case the EMT is justly worried." He missed her sympathetic nod as he strode off to room seventeen to prepare it for his new patient.

The boy was wheeled in fifteen minutes later and with one look Adam knew that it was as bad as he had feared. The boy was in bad shape, grimacing as he was gently moved from gurney to gurney. There was blood and dirt covering almost all of his body. His clothes were ratty and torn. Adam sighed.

"Get vitals on him. Is there a secure IV in him? Good." Adam paused, giving one of the nurses time to hook the boy up to a blood pressure and heart monitor. "How is it?"

"Pressure is a little high." She responded. "Heartbeat is a little fast. Not horribly so, but close." Adam nodded.

"Put him on EDM to lower that." Adam said. He gently placed a hand on the boy's chest, which was rising and falling at an unsteady rate. "And get an oxygen mask on him." He added. He leaned closer to the boy. "Kid? Can you hear me? Can you understand what I'm saying?" The boy groaned painfully. "Get X-Ray online and let them know he'll be coming down. I want pictures of his head, neck, back, chest, and legs."

"The father had been contacted." One of the EMTs said softly. "He wasn't home so we left a message. We were more concerned about getting him here alive." He continued. Adam nodded.

"Get me his number then. I'll call him while the boy's in X-Ray." The EMT nodded and pulled out a pad of paper. He ripped the top piece off and handed it over to him.

"X-Ray is ready." A nurse said. Adam nodded and the last of the boy's clothes were removed.

"Take him up. Put him in room three-seventeen." The nurses nodded and began to wheel him away. The EMT stopped Adam from following with a hand placed on his arm. "Yes?"

"That's William Richardson." The EMT said softly. Adam frowned in concern. "His fathe risn't the nicest of people to deal with…." Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know he isn't. I'll be sure to document everything for the police then. They know he's been found?" The EMT nodded. Adam shook his head. "You can go then." The EMT nodded and left to return to his ambulance.

Adam left the little room and strode to the phone placed next to the reception area. He picked it up and dialed the number on the pad of paper. It took five tries before he finally got a hold of Jeremy Richards, who answered the phone call with a bored, angry voice that made Adam frown.

"If you're selling things I don't want any. If you're asking for donations I'm not giving any. If you're a family member I don't feel like speaking with any of you." The man said nastily.

"Good thing I'm not any of those things." Adam replied somewhat nastily. He heard the man choke on something so he continued.

"I'm Adam Jeresey from Memorial View Hospital. I don't know if you got the message but your son, William, has been recovered and is being treated here…." That was as far as he got.

"William! When I get a hold of that boy he'll wish he was dead!" The man roared. Adam pulled the phone away from his ear and scowled.

"Your son has been in a car accident. One that killed the people that had kidnapped him." Adam said once the man stopped shouting. There was silence. " I just thought you'd like to know. He'll be in room three-seventeen if you decide to come see him." Adam hung up on the spluttering Mr. Richardson and scowled.

"Adam?" Adam looked up at the receptionist. "Paul from X-Ray told me to let you know that the X-Rays are done. He wants you up there right now for advice." Adam sighed, but made his way up to the X-Ray room where Paul was standing around a pile of X-Rays. William was lying on the x-Ray table, shivering despite the thick blanket over him.

"How bad?" He asked as he came up beside his friend. Even as he asked he saw that two of the vertebrae in the boy's lower back were smashed and pinching the spinal cord. It was a bad injury, but not a fatal one. "Surgery can fix that." He noted.

"I wasn't sure if I should just send him up or not. I wanted to see what you thought." Paul said.

"His knee can also be fixed via surgery." Adam muttered. "But get those vertebrae fixed immediately and when he's recovered from that we'll fix his knee." Paul nodded and motioned to the nurses, who moved William from table to gurney. "Get him up there now. I assume someone called surgery to let them know?" One of the nurses answered in the affirmitive.

"Adam, there's a man out here." One of the nurses poked her head back in. "He says he's the boy's father." Adam nodded and the nurse stepped aside to let the man in. The man surveyed the room with a frown, scowling when he saw his son on the gurney.

"Tell me one thing doctors. Will he be maimed, mangled, crippled, or in any way disfigured?" Adam blinked in shock and Paul frowned. "Well?"

"Would it matter if he was? He's your son for gods sake!" Paul growled. He got a fierce glare in return. "But no. He'll be wheelchair bound for some time but he may walk again." The man scowled darkly.

"Fine then. I will pay all his bills, but he is not my son." The man wheeled around and stalked out the room. Adam sighed and shook his head. His gaze grew even sadder as he noticed that William had been watching, and now had tears streaming down his face before he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

"Poor kid."

"Hear hear."

TBC

Jeez. Why is nobody reviewing? You've making me feel sad…..cuz I can see that people have been visiting this story. (sniffles) Well the next update will be in four days or so instead of three, mainly because I don't think anyone likes the story….and I have a report I need to do.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Elizabeth Turner scrubbed her hands under the scalding water, washing away the soap suds and dirt before drying her hands on a paper towel and returning to the bedside of her nearly comatose patient.

For the first time since he'd been admitted to Belleview, and probably the first time since the accident three years ago, William Richardson was free of IV's, tubes, and other medical contraptions. For at least a little while.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay." Elizabeth – Beth to her friends – said as she readied a new travel-designed IV. "You've been a wonderful patient, I don't know why those other nurses had written such bad reports." William didn't respond to her little diatribe, as per usual.

His head was tilted to one side and his eyes were glued expressionlessly to the window. His light brown hair was mussed up from his tossing and turning, and the curls were pasted to his fevered forehead.

'Poor boy. It seems like he's forever destined to be sick.' She thought as she plucked his hand off of his stomach and twisted it so she could see the underside. The pale flesh was littered with needle marks from previous IVs and shots of medication.

"Lets get a move on then huh? Good old Sunnydale is waiting for you." She said cheerfully. She wiped his arm off with a pad of antiseptics and inserted the needle in a clear spot. William didn't even flinch. She caked some plaster around the needle, then bandaged it so only the end was poking out.

"Sunnydale is a nice place." She continued. "I was there a few times, visiting my sister and her daughters. She works at the hospital you know." She patted his hand. "Maybe you'll meet her."

"Beth." Beth looked up as a fellow nurse poked her head into the room. Light blond hair and large brown eyes greeted her and she smiled at the intern. "I just came to remind you that you have a half an hour left to get him ready." The young woman said. She tilted her head towards the bed. "What the matter with him?"

"Huh?" Beth turned to William. The boy had turned to face to newbie. His eyes were wide open with fear, although they were still mainly expressionless, and his nostrils were flared. Beth sighed. "He's just afraid of new faces. Women mostly." She explained.

"Oh. I'll go then so he doesn't get even more upset." The young woman said.

"Okay, thanks for the reminder." The young woman nodded and left the room. William went back to staring nervously out the window. "Well." She said to herself. She began cleaning William's face with a damp rag, then put the oxygen mask back into place over his mouth and nose.

The next half hour passed quickly for Beth. William was hooked back onto the IV drips; medications for pain and the cold he hadn't been able to shake, as well as nutrients he never got because his stomach couldn't seem to handle regular food. "Beth. Is he ready?"

Beth looked up to see her supervisor standing in the doorway. On either side of him were doctors from Sunnydale. One was a younger man with black hair and green eyes. The other was – "Joyce!" Beth grinned happily at her sister, who waved from her spot at Dave's side.

"He's all set for transportation. Hello Joyce, long time no see." Joyce smiled. "I didn't think you'd be coming." Beth stated as the two men moved William from his bed to the gurney.

"It was a surprise. I'm going to be his primary nurse." Joyce said as the IV bags were switched to the pole hooked to the wheeled gurney. "Is there anything I need to know about him before we head out?" Joyce asked.

"Well, he hasn't had real food in a long time. He doesn't talk at all, just lays there and broods." William shifted his shoulders as he was wheeled over to the doorway. Beth smiled at him gently. "And he's afraid of new people. Mostly women, although there are a few men that he doesn't like."

"Gotchya." Joyce said as she joined her companion. "Anything else?"

"He's been sick a lot. We don't know why." Beth said.

"We'll be sure to look into it then. It's been nice to see you again. Are you going to be up for Christmas?" Joyce asked.

"You bet I will be. Take care of him will you?" Joyce nodded.

"Cross my heart. I'll see you soon." Beth nodded and watched her supervisor and the duo from Sunnydale walk down the long hallway, hoping that maybe at Sunnydale William would find the peace he needed.

OOOOOOOOOO

Joyce didn't know what to expect when she arrived at Belleview. He patient, a seventeen year old boy named William Richardson, had been in a car crash three years ago. He had a broken lower spine, a shattered knee, and trouble breathing. Only one of those three injuries/maladies had healed. That's all she had been told.

When she saw the boy she knew that something else was going on with him. something that was a little more than physical. And being the wife of a psychologist, she was qualified enough to know when someone needed professional help. In this case, that someone was the boy.

She averted her attention from William long enough to greet and speak with her sister, who had informed her of William's fear of women. Joyce shrugged it off momentarily and decided to work on that problem after she fixed his physical problems. Those usually were the easiest.

She waved a good bye to her sister, after extracting a promise that the woman would visit for Christmas, and joined her companion and the hospitals supervisor as they wheeled William down to the ambulance. The boy was loaded carefully into the back and Joyce put a hand on her companion's arm as he went to climb in.

"I'll sit in the back with him." She offered. "I'd like to get to know him a little." The man, fresh out of college and new to the world of doctors and patients, nodded a little warily.

"If your sure." He said.

"Very sure. Go on up and sit in the cab. I'll yell if I need anything." He nodded and Joyce climbed in to sit next to William. The man slammed the doors shut and Joyce quickly reassured William, who had bucked in surprise. "It's okay William. You're safe back here." The ambulance started up and country music drifted to the back from the cab.

"My name is Joyce Summers and I'll be your primary nurse. My assistant, Xander, will be helping me out. You'll meet him when we get to Sunnydale." Joyce paused to gently pet William's hand comfortingly. "I have two daughters, whom you'll also meet. They hang around the hospital a lot."

William was silent throughout her diatribe, but he did tilt his head at her occasionally during the speech. Eventually he fell into an exhausted sleep and Joyce sighed. "I'll nurse you back to health, I promise. No matter what."

TBC

I know the chapters haven't been short, but this story is merely a fill in story while I work on "Watch Out World". The prologue of the new version will be up soon. Make sure you read the Author's notes on it!


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The ambulance ride went surprisingly without a hitch, and William was silent and still throughout the ride and the unloading process. He stiffened only briefly as a female nurse welcomed them, and the stiffness passed when she was out of sight and earshot.

He was wheeled down the main hallway and onto a large elevator that held two others; Joyce's intern and protégé Alexander Harris – Xander to his friends, family, and coworkers – and her daughter Buffy. Almost immediately William noticed Buffy and his eyes narrowed in fear.

Joyce stayed silent as the boy began to tremble. His eyes darted around wildly until they landed on Xander. The intern stared straight back at him until he finally spoke up. "Buff, you might want to move." He said cautiously.

"Huh? Why?" Xander gestured to William and she nodded in silent understanding. She moved and Xander took her place by William's side.

"Hi. I'm Xander." Xander introduced himself. William stopped trembling, but his eyes kept darting to stare at Buffy like she was the plague. "I didn't think Buffy was too frightening, but I guess to a new face she might be."

"Hey!" Buffy protested. Xander smirked at her. The doors dinged open and Joyce motioned for one of the men to wheel William foreword. William jumped as the gurney started moving.

"Is his room ready?" Joyce asked as the slowly moved along the halls. Xander walked on the other side of the gurney and Buffy walked on the other side of Joyce.

"Squeaky clean and ready for a patient." Xander replied. They stopped outside of said room and Xander swung the door open to admit William. Together, he and the other man moved William from gurney to the bed, followed by the IV lines. Joyce smiled at her student.

"I'm going to schedule X-Rays, blood tests, and a CAT scan for him. I'll make it for after he settles down of course. I trust you'll be okay with him?" Xander looked up from tucking the sheets around William's shoulders.

"Of course." Joyce nodded and left the pair to introdice themselves properly.

00000000000

Xander settled himself at the foor of William's bed, careful not to jostle or disturb the patient in any way shape or form. William's pale blue eyes were glued to his form unnervingly. "What's wrong with him?" Xander jumped in shock.

"Holy bejeezus Buff!" He gasped. "Don't sneak up on people!" Xander berated, noting out of the corner of one eye that William seemed more tense then before. "What do you mean, what wrong with him?"

"Is he braindead?" Buffy moved closer in curiosity.

"Stop it Buff. Don't be rude." Xander frowned. "And don't get too close. He's afraid of you women. God only knows why…" Buffy seemed to ignore his jibe and instead grinned. Apparently telling her of William's fear was the wrong thing to do. "Buffy, don't even think about it."

"What? Is he actually afraid of me?" She peered into William's eyes, and William immediately twisted his head until he was free of her gaze. Xander frowned. "Cool!"

"Not cool!" Spike shivered. "Buffy, I know being small means you can't intimidate men, but please refrain from doing so in a hospital. Especially with William." Buffy pouted under Xanders glare.

"Fine. I'll just go then." Xander blinked as she stormed out of the room. He turned back to William, who had a wide-eyed expression of fright plastered to his face.

"Don't mind her. She's just used to not intimidating guys. She can be a real bitch sometimes." William tilted his head at Xander. "She doesn't mean anything by it. Now, I told you my name is Xander. Short for Alexander. Horrible right? I'm seventeen and I've worked here as an intern since I graduated. I graduated early from my class by the way. I plan on being a doctor, unlike my deadbeat dad. He's an on again off again carpenter."

Xander was interrupted from his monologue by Joyce, who poked her head into the room. "He's scheduled to go in on Friday." Xander nodded. She gave them a smile and left. Xander looked down to see William staring at him, blank face but calculating eyes.

"I like working as a doctor." He continued. "I like helping people. I also like to go horseback riding. Have you ever been?" No response. "Oh well, I'll have to take you when you're better. Buffy's afraid of horses. I think it's because she's so small. She'd be crushed."

For the next hour or so Xander sat at the end of William's bed and talked. The patient hadn't once looked away from Xander as he spoke about his life and his hobbies. Vaguely Xander wondered why the reports he'd read on the boy had depicted him as a horrid patient with violent tendencies. There was no sign of violence anywhere so far.

"Well, I better go get changed." Xander finally said. He stood up and stretched before making his way to the door. "I'll be right back." He promised William. He left the hospital room, closing the door until it clicked. He made his way down the hallway and up a flight of stairs to the residents hall.

He entered his room and stripped off his hospital jacket and scrubs. He hopped in the shower for a quick rinse and then rummaged around in his drawers until he found a comfy pair of blue jeans and a baggy t shirt. He slipped some socks on and stuffed his feet in a pair of sneakers.

He left his room, locking the dor behind him, and made his way back to William's room with a small grin on his face. He made it back to the room and checked his watch. He'd done everything in less than thirty minutes. "Not bad." He muttered and opened the door. He was greeted with a air of wide, slighlyt frantic pair of eyes that immediately calmed upon seeing him.

"I told you I'd be back." He said, stepping in and closing the door behind himself. "My room is right down the hall and up the stairs by the way." He pulled the comfy recliner away from the corner and plopped down. "If you ever need anything, that button there will buzz my pager and my room." Xander motioned to the buzzer dangling from the bedrail. "Now I'm going to nap. I'll stay with you tonight, okay?"

There was no answer, not like he expected one, but he did notice William relaxing. Eventually the boy was sleeping, even if it was a shallow sleep. Xander sighed softly and allowed his eyes to fall closed.

TBC

I know the chapters haven't been long, but this story is merely a fill in while I work on "Watch Out World". The first chapter(s) are up now along with a new story called "The Initiative 1". Hope you like!


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